And just like that, our 5th and final day of our family camping trip had arrived, and it was bittersweet. As much as we wanted to stay in the woods of Shenandoah forever, our daily lives (and comfy beds) were calling us back home. According to the campground’s policy, we had to be checked out and off the grounds by noon, so we got an early start and woke up out of our wall tent at 7 am sharp. This gave us plenty of time to enjoy our morning coffee, eat breakfast, and pack up our campsite without feeling too rushed.
Table Of Contents
Read on for a peek into everything we did on our last day camping, from soaking up our final moments around the campfire to packing up our gear and hitting the road. Plus, discover practical tips for your next trip. Let’s get right into it!
Before we wrap up the adventure, rewind to Day 4 “Bonding with Nature – Games, Skills, and Learning Moments” for skills and family fun.
Sharing Memories and Gathering Keepsakes
As my brother lit our last campfire, the family gathered around to eat one last breakfast in the wilderness. I wanted to get rid of whatever ingredients were left in the cooler, so I cooked up an easy breakfast hash over the tent stove using eggs and a variety of leftover veggies, potatoes, and spices. While enjoying the food around the warmth of the fire, we discussed everything about our trip, from what we think succeeded to what we’d do differently on our next adventure. Overall, the consensus was that the campsite was a huge success, from the luxury tent we managed to put together to the cozy atmosphere all the tent accessories and decor created. All the work we’d put into making it comfortable paid off, considering how many positive memories we’d made right at the campsite. We also agreed that next time, as great as our campsite was, we’d like to explore more areas of the park. While we got to go on 2 amazing hikes and enjoy a picnic and swim at White Oak Canyon, there were so many other stunning places we just didn’t have time to get to.
To make our reflections a little more fun for the kids, we did a quick round of camping superlatives, where each person received an award for being the best at something on our trip. We used a printable camping superlative template from Etsy, and left each one blank to fill them out on our last day. Our final superlatives included Best Camp Chef, awarded to Grandma, Wildlife Enthusiast, awarded to me, Budding Nature Artist, awarded to my niece, Top Marshmallow Roaster, awarded to my partner, Nature Photographer Aficionado, awarded to my brother, Best Environmentalist, awarded to my sister-in-law, and Camp Clown, awarded to my nephew. In addition to their awards, we encouraged the kids to hold onto their scavenger hunt finds from Day 2 to bring home as mementos of the trip.
The last item of business before breaking down camp was a family photo, of course! Thankfully, there was a friendly family set up next door, so we asked them to snap a quick photo of us in front of our camping tent.
Packing Up Camp
After a fun morning of reminiscing on our outdoor adventure, the time had come to pack up our campsite. Just like during our setup on Day 1, each family member got assigned a role to make packing down as efficient and seamless as possible. Before splitting up, we all lent a hand in taking down the decor and tent accessories. With so much gear out and about, it can be difficult to know where to start. If you feel similar at the end of your trip, think about following your setup steps, but backwards. For us, that meant taking down the more aesthetic additions first. Once that was accomplished, we divided and conquered to get all of our gear, equipment, and supplies back in their storage containers for the ride home.
My best piece of advice when packing is to get it right the first time. This means cleaning off anything that needs it and organizing everything exactly how you plan to keep it stored at home. The only exception to this is if your gear is still wet or damp at the time of packing. In this case, you’ll want to take everything wet back out as soon as you get home to ensure they can properly dry before long-term storage. Otherwise, you may open your storage containers on your next trip, only to find mold, mildew, and rust.
Similar to setting up camp, my partner and I took care of unassembling the wall tent and its additions, like the front porch extension, while my brother and sister in law handled the rest of the campsite with Grandma. The kids did little things to help where possible, which ultimately included pulling out the tent stakes and carrying our lightest items to the cars to be packed.
Leave No Trace
Once our entire campsite was broken down and packed into our cars, we did a final sweep of the grounds to ensure we hadn’t missed anything. Leave No Trace is a fundamental camping principle, and something our family takes seriously when exploring the outdoors. While camping, this meant leaving our campsite cleaner than it was when we arrived. This included packing up every last tent stake and small piece of gear lying around, as well as taking out all the trash we’d made during the trip. Most developed frontcountry campgrounds have large garbage bins for disposal, making following these practices a breeze.
Heading Home
With our camping gear all packed up and our final sweep of the campsite complete, we said goodbye to the place we’d called home for the last 5 days. Though we were all sad to be parting ways and leaving the beauty of Shenandoah National Park, our day-to-day lives were waiting for us back home. From the uninterrupted quality time we got to spend together to the numerous outdoor activities we got to enjoy, it was safe to say our first family camping trip with my niece and nephew was a massive success. Whether you were reading along this journey just for fun or you were looking for tips, tricks, and ideas for your own outdoor adventure, I hope you took a thing or two away from our 5-day family camping experience. Happy camping!
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